City Observatory

Closed now

Image by Collective Architecture

Inspired by a Greek temple of the Four Winds, the Observatory was designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818.

The first Astronomer Royal to work in this building was Professor Thomas Henderson, appointed 1834, who had discovered how to measure parallax and the distance to a star while in his previous job in South Africa.

Opening times

Explore

Working with the City of Edinburgh Council, Collective is redeveloping the City Observatory site as a new home for contemporary art: conserving and reinstating the original Playfair designs and constructing a new exhibition space and panoramic restaurant. The site will open fully to the public for the first time in its history in spring 2018. For more information visit the Collective Gallery website.